Orioles’ 7th-round selection could be the team’s best pitcher Mike Elias has ever drafted

This year's Baltimore Orioles draft class looks very different from any of the other Mike Elias era Orioles draft classes. This draft the Orioles leaned into two things they've typically shied away from in the draft. High Schoolers and pitchers, especially in the later rounds. On the second day of the draft the Orioles took underrated arm names Ryan Piech out of Xavier who has the potential to be one of the best pitchers this front office have ever taken in the draft.

Drafted as the 171st overall pick in the draft, Piech wasn’t included on anyone’s list as one of the best prospects available. However, he did pitch his way onto many GM’s draft boards with his 2026 season at Xavier University. As noted by Orioles on the Verge, Piech has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2024 and developed into a high-quality starting pitcher. While his elbow may be the cause for some injury concerns down the road, his arm comes with low mileage over the last few years. That could be well worth the risk for Baltimore.

Mike Elias has yet to draft an MLB starting pitcher, he might have done just that with Ryan Piech

Following his surgery, Piech continued to boast strong numbers on the bump in college. In 2026, the 6-3 righty posted a 3.18 ERA and a very respectable WHIP of 1.140. His 98 strikeouts in 76.1 innings ranked as the 5th most in a single season in Xavier history. Not to be outdone, Piech held opponents to a .201 batting average this season, which was the best in the entire Big East Conference. Although he doesn’t possess lights-out stuff, Piech has shown that he knows how to miss bats, a quality that the Orioles can certainly appreciate. 

With a mid-90s fastball and an effective slider and changeup to play off it, Piech does have a solid, albeit pedestrian arsenal of pitches to build on. Just shy of his 21st birthday, the RHP will have plenty of time to continue his development in the Orioles’ minor league system. Scouts really began to take notice of Piech and his approach to his craft during the 2026 season, especially his ability to constantly improve. While his 3.7 BB/9 was a bit high for a starting pitcher, it represented a massive improvement from his 7.4 BB/9 in 2025. There's also no reason to believe that he won’t be able to get an even better handle on his control as he works his way through his pro career. 

Besides, Piech’s high school coach would even go so far as to say that the righty was made to pitch in the MLB. While speaking to the Akron Beacon Journal, Joe Bowers of Walsh Jesuit couldn’t help but sing the young pitcher’s praises. “Ryan is special. He's built like a pro pitcher. He throws like a pro pitcher. He talks how I imagine a pro pitcher would talk,” Bowers said. “He's just got it. He's had it for a long time. Everyone has known it. He knows how to work it and puts in the work to make himself better, too."

Regardless of how his pro career turns out, it appears that Piech is already willing to put in the work to become an effective starting pitcher in the big leagues. Baltimore could have found itself a real late-round gem in Piech. If Joseph Dzierwa is any indication of the Orioles’ ability to find strong pitchers outside of the first round, then Piech could be well on his way to enjoying similar success in the minors.

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